Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Alexander Volkanovski kept his vice grip on the featherweight title with a fourth-round TKO win over Yair Rodríguez in the main event of UFC 290 from Las Vegas.
It was all one-way terrific in the first round for Volkanovski. After surprising with his wrestling skill against Islam Makhachev in his last fight, the Australian turned to it right away to control Rodríguez down and wear him down with ground and pound.
Luke Thomas🏋️♀️ @lthomasnews
Easy to score the first round. All Volk. His top control + GNP clearly gives him the first. He even did his best Randy Couture impression at the end with heavy work from top half guard.
With the dynamic established early, Volkanovski did not hesitate to return to the well. Rodríguez did not have much recourse as the champion continued to work him to the ground and keep the pressure on.
Kevin Iole @KevinI
TBH at this point Volkanovski is rag dolling Rodriguez. Yair looks out of his depths at this point. #UFC290
Volkanovski—usually known for his striking—was wrestling so well agianst Rodriguez that he was earning new nicknames:
Seán Sheehan @SeanSheehanBA
20-18 Volkmagomedov
ESPN passed along some slow-mo elbows to really highlight the damage for the champion.
ESPN MMA @espnmma
THESE ELBOWS FROM VOLK 😬 #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/tKoqv1kvQq
With Rodríguez properly broken, Volkanovski let his hands go in the stand up. He cracked his the challenger with a punch and continue to rain down ground strikes until Herb Dean intervened.
The Great continues to live up to that moniker in the featherweight division. This marked a successful return to the 145-pound division after coming up short in his bid to become the lightweight champion.
There’s a strong case to be made that Volkanovski is the greatest featherweight of all-time. A win over Rodríguez only serves to add another bullet point to his incredible resume. He already holds a win over José Aldo and has beaten Max Holloway three times.
The only other superstar featherweight he hasn’t beaten is Conor McGregor. The Irishman won the 145-pound strap but never defended it.
Volkanovski has done his part to try and goad McGregor into fighting him, but he’s also spoken out about rising prospect Ilia Topuria. The potential challenger is undefeated and coming off a win over Josh Emmett, but Volkanovski wants to be the one to take away the zero in his record.
“I think you all are hyping him up, a lot of people are asking me about him,” Volkanovski told reporters heading into UFC 290. “So yeah, keep top contenders away from him because I might not be facing him. You guys saying he’s the guy, cool, let’s keep him away from everyone. If he’s going to get a whooping, let’s make it from me.”
Either way, fans will be tuning into his next defense to see just how long the 34-year-old can keep taking on all-comers.
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